Hopewell Valley Arts Council Third Annual Amazing Pumpkin Carve Best in Show winner Eric Schultz with his pumpkin titled “Escape"

The Hopewell Valley Arts Council celebrated a successful Third Annual Amazing Pumpkin Carve, from October 11 to 15 at the newly named Woolsey Park in Hopewell Township. Visitors of all ages were wowed by 50 gigantic pumpkins carved into works of art by 50 of the region’s best artists.

“What an amazing five days of pumpkins, art, and community!” said Hopewell Valley Arts Council Board of Trustees President Carol Lipson. “This event was a resounding success. Many thanks go out to our generous sponsors, amazing pumpkin carvers, entertainers, community partners, and our friends and neighbors for their outpouring of support.”

This year’s Best in Show winner is Hopewell-area artist Eric Schultz for his creation, “Escape,” a wide-mouthed jack-o-lantern face with gourd eyes and a pumpkin skeleton emerging from its mouth. The rich fall-themed images of amateur and professional photographers were also on display in the Hopewell Valley Arts Council’s first annual photography show. Anna Fraczak took Best in Show for her photograph, “Box Dwelling Creature.” For the full list of award winners, visit hvartscouncil.org.

“One of the cornerstones of the Hopewell Valley Arts Council is to celebrate ‘art in the everyday,’” continued Lipson. “Nothing is more everyday than the tradition of carving a pumpkin. We hope that visitors were inspired to add an even more artistic eye to their own fall decorations this year.”

The Amazing Pumpkin Carve is the Hopewell Valley Arts Council’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Ticket proceeds fund the artist carvers’ honoraria and benefit the nonprofit organization by supporting other arts-related Hopewell Valley Arts Council programs, including an upcoming artists guild.

“The success of this year’s Carve will provide seed money for making one of our dreams come true: the creation of an artists guild, in early 2018,” said Lipson. “The guild will provide much needed support to local artists, encourage fellowship, and provide opportunities to display and sell their artwork.

“This year’s success has inspired us to start planning for the 2018 Carve,” she continued. “It will be bigger and more AMAZING than ever! We look forward to seeing you at another Hopewell Valley Arts Council event soon.”

Mary Galioto is the founder, publisher and editor of MercerMe. Originally from Brooklyn, Mary has progressively moved deeper and deeper into New Jersey, settling in the heart of the state: Mercer County. Formerly the author of an embarrassingly informal blog, Mary is a lifelong writer and asker of questions and was even mentioned, albeit briefly, in the New York Times and Washington Post. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from SUNY Binghamton and a Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall Law School. In her free time, Mary fills her life with excessive self-reflection, creative endeavors, and photographing mushrooms.
Mary also works as the PR Coordinator at the Hopewell Valley Arts Council, serves on the volunteer Board of Trustees of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT), holds a seat on the Hopewell Borough Board of Health, and is a member of the Hopewell Valley Municipal Alliance.